Pashinyan calls Security Council meeting to discuss external and internal challenges

YEREVAN, March 1. /ARKA/. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan chaired today a meeting of the Security Council, the government press service reported.

It said the meeting discussed a set of issues pertaining to external and internal security of the country, the current challenges and ways to overcome them.

Armenian President Armen Sarkissian refused last Saturday to sign a draft decree by Pashinyan to sack the chief of the staff of the armed forces Onik Gasparyan.

Pashinyan's decree came after Gasparyan and more than 40 other top army brass issued a statement accusing the prime minister of misrule and demanding that he and his government step down.

President Sarkissian with largely ceremonial role said in a statement that he would not back the move.

"The president of the republic, within the framework of his constitutional powers, returned the draft decree with objections," the presidency said. The political crisis "cannot be resolved through frequent personnel changes," the statement added.

Shortly afterwards Pashinyan resent the decree to the president and called on his supporters to rally today evening in downtown square, promising to unveil some details regarding the war in Nagorno-Karabakh.

The alliance of a dozen opposition parties demanding Pashinyan's resignation has also called on their supporters to gather for protest demonstration in central Baghramyan avenue, in front of the parliament building. -0-